Army ousts Egypt’s Morsi, appoints interim head of state

Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram newspaper on Wednesday reported on its website that the army told President Mohamed Morsi at 5pm GMT that he was no longer head of state. It quoted a presidential source.

Meanwhile, the head of Egypt's armed forces issued a declaration on Wednesday suspending the Constitution and appointing the head of the Constitutional Court as interim head of state.

In a televised broadcast, flanked by military leaders, religious authorities and political figures, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi effectively declared the removal of elected Morsi.

Sisi called for presidential and parliamentary elections, a panel to review the Constitution and a national reconciliation committee that would include youth movements. He said the roadmap had been agreed by a range of political groups.

Fireworks burst over Cairo's Tahrir Square, the centre of protests against Morsi, and across the Egyptian capital after the army appointed a new, interim head of state.

"The people and the army are one hand," protesters cheered in the square, amid the roar of horns and chanting, a Reuters witness said. – Reuters

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